St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-12-03

from US, lntO maj captivity, tne NOSpel
of my blessed Lord Jesus Christ.
Again, the Gospel well, like the one
spoken of in my text, is well at the
gate. The traveller stops the camel to-
day, and gets down and dips out of the
valley of the East, some very beautiful,
clear, bright water, and that is out of the
very we'll that David longed for. Do you
know that that we'll was at the gate, so
that nobody could go into Bethlehem
without going right past it And so it
is with this Gospel well-it is at the gate.
1t is, at the first place, at the gate of
publication. We cannot wash away our
sins unless with that water |
take the responsibility of saying that
there is no man, woman or child in this
house to-day that has escaped sinful de-
Element. Do you say it is outrageous
and ungallant for me to make such a
charge? Do you say, II have never
stolen-I have never blasphemed-I have
never committed unchastity-1 have never
been guilty of murder? reply, you have
committed sin worse than blasphemy,
worse than unchastity, worse than theft,
worse than murder. We have all COM
mitted it. We have by our sin recruci-
fed the Lord, and that is decide. And
if there be any who dare to plead mot
guilty" to the Indictment, then the hosts
of Heaven will be impaneled as jury to
render a unanimous verdict against us :;
guilty one, guilty all. With what a
slashing stroke that one passage cuts us
away from all our pretensions: "There
is none that doeth gOod-no, not one"
oh" says some one, "all we want, all
the race wants, is Development Now
| want to tell you that the race develops
without the Gospel into Sodom, Five
Points, Great Salt Lake City. 1t always
develops downward and not upward, eX
cept as the grace of God lays hold of it.
What, then, is to become of our soul
without Christ? Banishment. Disas-
ter. But | bless my Lord Jesus Christ
that there is a well at the gate of
publication. For great sin, great pardon.
For eighty years of transgressiOn an
eternity of forgiveness. For crime deep
as hell, an atonement high as Heaven;
that where sin abOunded, so grace may
much more abound; that as sin reigned
unto death, even so may grace reign
through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. Angel of the
Covenant, dip thy wing in this living
fountain to-day, and wave it over this
solemn assemblage, that our souls may
be washed in 1.-The water of the we'll of
Bethlehem which is by the gate"
Further, remark that this we'll of the
gospel is at the gate of comfort. Do YOU
know where David was when he uttered
the words of the text? He was in the
cave of Adullam. That is where some
of you are now. Has the world always
gone smoothly with you? Has it never
pursued you with SANDER? Is your
health always good? Have your fortunes
never persisted? Are your children all
alive and we'll? Is there one dead lamb
in the fold? Are you ignorant of the
heard the bell toll when it seemed as
if every stroke of the iron clapper beat
your heart? Are the skies as bright
when you look into them as they
used to be when other eyes, now
closed, used to look into them? Is there
some trunk or drawer in your house that
you 60 to only on anniversary days, when
there comes beating against your soul the
surf of a great ocean of agony? 1t is the
cave of Adullam! The cave of Adullam
Is there some David here whose fatherly
heart hayward Absalom has broken?
Is there some Abraham here who is
lonely because Sarah is dead in the
family plot of Machpelah? After thirty
Or forty years of companionship,
how hard it was for them to part. Why
not have two seats in the Lords chariot,
30 that both the old folks might have
gone up at once? My aged mother, in
her last moment, said to my father,
Father, wouldn't it be nice if we could |
both go togetherw No, no, no. We must |
part. And there are wounded hearts |
here to-day. The world cannot comfort |
you. What can it bring you? Nothing. |
Nothing. The salve they try to put on
7our wounds will not stick They can
lot, with their bungling surgery, mend |
he broken bones.
Zoppar the Naamathite, and Bildad the
Shuhite, and Eliphaz the Temante, come
n, and talk, and talk, and talk, but mis-
'rable comforters are they all. They can
lot pour light into the cave of Adullam.
They cannot bring single draught of
water from "the we'll to Bethlehem,
which is by the gate" But glory be to
Tesus Christ, there is comfort at the gate
There is life in the we'll at the gate If
'ou give me time, | will draw up a
promise for every man, woman and child
n this house. Ay, will do it in two
minutes. | will lay hold the rope of
he old well. What is your trou-
lie? "Oh," you say, Il am so
lex, so weary of life-ailments after all
nents." l will draw up promise 1.-THE
inhabitants shall never say I am sick"
What is your trouble? "Oh, it is loss of
riends-bereavement," you say. Twill
raw you up promise, fresh and cool,
ut of the well II am the resurrection
nd the life he that believeth in Me,
hough he were dead, yet shall he live"
What is your trouble? You say it is the
nfrmities of old age. I will draw you up
romise: Down to old age am with
bee, to hoary hairs will carry thee"
What is your trouble? "Oh," you say,
| have a widowed soul, and my children
ry for bread" bring up this promise:
Leave thy fatherless children-1 will
reserve them alive, and let thy widows
rust in Me-" | break through the armed
anks of your sorrows to-day, and bring
, your parched lips "a drink of the
yater of the we'll of Bethlehem, which is
y the gate"
Again, the Gospel well is at the gate
Heaven. | have not heard yet one
ingle intelligent account of the future
'orld from anybody who does not be-
eve in the Bible. They throw such